Analysis of clinical phenotype and genotype of Chinese children with disorders of sex development / 中华儿科杂志

Objective: To explore the heterogeneity and correlation of clinical phenotypes and genotypes in children with disorders of sex development (DSD). Methods: A retrospective study of 1 235 patients with clinically proposed DSD in 36 pediatric medical institutions across the country from January 2017 to May 2021. After capturing 277 DSD-related candidate genes, second-generation sequencing was performed to analyzed the heterogeneity and correlation combined with clinical phenotypes. Results: Among 1 235 children with clinically proposed DSD, 980 were males and 255 were females of social gender at the time of initial diagnosis with the age ranged from 1 day of age to 17.92 years. A total of 443 children with pathogenic variants were detected through molecular genetic studies, with a positive detection rate of 35.9%. The most common clinical phenotypes were micropenis (455 cases), hypospadias (321 cases), and cryptorchidism (172 cases) and common mutations detected were in SRD5A2 gene (80 cases), AR gene (53 cases) and CYP21A2 gene (44 cases). Among them, the SRD5A2 mutation is the most common in children with simple micropenis and simple hypospadias, while the AMH mutation is the most common in children with simple cryptorchidism. Conclusions: The SRD5A2 mutation is the most common genetic variant in Chinese children with DSD, and micropenis, cryptorchidism, and hypospadias are the most common clinical phenotypes. Molecular diagnosis can provide clues about the biological basis of DSD, and can also guide clinicians to perform specific clinical examinations. Target sequence capture probes and next-generation sequencing technology can provide effective and economical genetic diagnosis for children with DSD.

A new lignan from Gleditsiae spina / 药学学报

The chemical constituents from ethyl acetate extract of Gleditsiae spina were isolated and purified by various chromatographic methods such as MCI gel CHP-20, ODS, Sephadex LH-20, silica gel and semi-preparative HPLC. Seven lignans were isolated and identified by spectroscopic data analyses as (7R,8S,7'E,7''S,8''R)-buddlenol P (1), (+)-syringaresinol (2), (+)-isolariciresinol (3), (7S,8R)-cedrusin (4), (7S,8R)-4,9,9'-trihydroxy-3,3'-dimethoxy-7,8-dihydrobenzofuran-1'-propylneolignan (5), 3',4-O-dimethylcedrusin (6), balanophonin (7). Among them, compound 1 is a new lignan, compounds 2-7 are isolated from the Gleditsia L. for the first time. MTT method was used to investigate the effect of compounds 2-7 on LPS-induced injury of NRK-52e cells. As a result, compounds 2, 3 and 7 exhibit protective effects against LPS-induced damage to NRK-52e cells.

Advance in Music Therapy for Children with Hearing Impairment (review) / 中国康复理论与实践

Music therapy, as a new intervention, is widely recognized as potential benefits in special children, and plays a positive role in hearing-impaired children. This article reviewed the origin and development of music therapy, the concept of music therapy, and the physiological basis and application of music therapy in hearing-impaired children, analyzed the existing problems and put forward the possible solutions to promote its development.

Accumulation and Toxicity of Mercury in Zhuhong Ointment in Rats with Damaged Skin Model / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective: To study the accumulation of mercury in liver, kidney and brain of rats and its toxicity on liver and kidney after 4 weeks of administration of different doses of Zhuhong ointment, in order to provide data reference for the safe clinical use of Zhuhong ointment. Method: Forty-four Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 4 groups:control group, normal-dose group (1.875 mg·kg-1), medium-dose group (37.5 mg·kg-1), and high-dose group (75 mg·kg-1). After transdermal administration for consecutive 4 weeks, the mercury content in the urine, blood, liver, kidney and brain of the rats was measured. In addition, serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), serum urea nitrogen (BUN), and serum creatinine (SCr), urine β2-miSCroglobulin (β2-BMG) and urine N-acetyl-beta-D glucosidase (NAG) contents were measured, and pathological morphology changes of liver and kidney were observed. Result:Compared with the control group, the levels of blood mercury and urine mercury in Zhuhong ointment groups showed significant increases after administration for 4 weeks(PPPPPPConclusion:Zhuhong ointment is not toxic at the normal dose, but long-term use can lead to the accumulation of mercury in liver, kidney and bra, which causes liver and kidney toxicity. This study did not find a more sensitive indicator of liver and kidney toxicity than liver and kidney pathology. However, because the rising levels of urinary mercury and blood mercury may predict toxicity, the relationship between mercury exposure and toxicity could be further studied. This study provides a reference for the rational use and toxicity monitoring of Zhuhong ointment.

Identification of possible molecular markers and functional gene modules associated with lung adenocarcinoma based on weighted co-expression network analysis method / 中草药

Objective: The potential biological targets for anti-lung adenocarcinoma of Solanum nigrum were scored using the weighted co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) method. Methods: A database of chemical components of S. nigrum was established through oral bioavailability (OB), drug-likeness (DL) based on Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) and literature retrieval. The targets of active ingredients of S. nigrum were predicted based on reverse docking with DRAR-CPI server, and combined with WGCNA to mine GSE10072 dataset in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database to obtain coexpression gene module. Furthermore, the potential anti-lung adenocarcinoma targets of S. nigrum were confirmed under intersected with predicted targets and coexpression genes. The GO terms of biological processes and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis of predicted targets and anti-lung adenocarcinoma targets were performed by Metascape database, respectively. Using the targets-pathways networks to study the mechanisms of S. nigrum in the fight against cancer. The transcriptional level expression of key String database combined with Cytoscape software to draw the proteins-proteins interactions (PPI), and active ingredients-targets-pathways networks to study the mechanisms of S. nigrum in the fight against cancer. The transcriptional level expression of key genes in lung adenocarcinoma cancer tissues and normal lung tissues was assessed based on UALCAN dataset. And the correlation between key genes and prognosis of lung cancer patients was calculated by KM plotter analysis. Results: This study collected nine active components of S. nigrum, including medioresinol, sitosterol, diosgenin, solanocapsine, quercetin, α-chaconine, solasonin, solamargine, and solasodine. Totally 271 targets were predicted, and 41 potential anticancer targets were confirmed. The potential regulatory pathways included pathway in cancer, PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, chemical carcinogenesis, central carbon metabolism in cancer and so on. From the PPI network, we found that hub genes EGFR, CASP8, HPGDS, FYN, and high expression of EGFR and CASP8 were related to the poor overall survival in patient with lung adenocarcinoma. Oncontrary, lower expression of HPGDS and FYN were also associated with poor overall survival. Conclusion: This study reflects the multi-component, multi-target and multi-pathway features of S. nigrum, and provides a scientific basis for anticancer substance and elucidating the mechanisms of action of S. nigrum, as well as a reference for the study of mechanisms.

A new recombined porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus virulent strain in China

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is one of the most important swine diseases worldwide. In the present study, a new virulent strain of PRRS virus (PRRSV), GDsg, was isolated in Guangdong province, China, and caused high fever, high morbidity, and high mortality in sows and piglets. The genome of this new strain was 15,413 nucleotides (nt) long, and comparative analysis revealed that GDsg shared 82.4% to 94% identity with type 2 PRRSV strains, but only 61.5% identity with type 1 PRRSV Lelystad virus strain. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that type 2 PRRSV isolates include five subgenotypes (I, II, III, IV, and V), which are represented by NADC30, VR-2332, GM2, CH-1a, and HuN4, respectively. Moreover, GDsg belongs to a newly emerging type 2 PRRSV subgenotype III. More interestingly, the newly isolated GDsg strain has multiple discontinuous nt deletions, 131 (19 + 18 + 94) at position 1404–1540 and a 107 nt insertion in the NSP2 region. Most importantly, the GDsg strain was identified as a virus recombined between low pathogenic field strain QYYZ and vaccine strain JXA1-P80. In conclusion, a new independent subgenotype and recombinant PRRSV strain has emerged in China and could be a new threat to the swine industry of China.

A new indole alkaloid from bulbils of Dioscorea opposite Thunb / 药学学报

This study was designed to study the chemical constituents from bulbil of Dioscorea opposite Thunb.. Four compounds were isolated by silica gel column chromatography. On the basis of physic-chemical characters and spectroscopic data analysis, these compounds were identified as lyzalkaloid (3,4-dihydro-6-hydroxy-4-methyl-6H-pyrido[6,5-b]indol-5(1H)-one) (1), anoectochine (2), ginsenine (3), and 2-hydroxy-3-(1H-indol-3-yl) propanoic acid methyl ester (4). Compound 1 is a new indole alkaloid, named as lyzalkaloid. Compounds 2-4 were isolated from this plant for the first time. The cytotoxic activities were assessed by MTT assay. All compounds exhibited the cytotoxic activity against HepG2 and MDA-231 with IC50 values of over 100 μmol·L-1, respectively. All compounds show no significant cytotoxic activities against HepG2, MDA-231 cancer cell.

Effects of tannins in Galla Chinensis on pharmacokinetics of rifampicin in vivo and in vitro / 中国中药杂志

This study was aimed to explore the effects of tannins in Galla Chinensis on rifampicin in vivo. In the experiment in vitro, UV spectrophotometry and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were used to investigate the solubility of rifampin in pH 1.3, 6.8, artificial gastric juice environment and artificial intestinal fluid environment as well as the effects of tannins on solubility of rifampin in the above conditions. In the experiment in vivo, the process of rifampicin was studied after intragastric administration of rifampicin and rifampicin+ tannins in Galla Chinensis, and then the pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated. The results showed that rifampicin was constantly precipitated in the artificial gastric juice environment over time, and nearly 85% of the rifampicin was precipitated after 6 hours; it showed a good solubility in the artificial intestinal juice environment. After adding the said tannins, the concentration of rifampicin was decreased significantly in both environments, and the concentration of rifampicin in artificial intestinal juice remained relatively stable, while that in artificial gastric juice remained the original downward trend. The pharmacokinetic parameters displayed that as compared with rifampicin alone, AUC0-t and Cmax were decreased significantly, MRT0-t slowed down significantly, Tmax doubled to 7.0 h and the bioavailability was only 31.65% in rifampicin + tannins in Galla Chinensis group. The experiment indicated rifampicin had a poor solubility in acidic environment and the decrease of bioavailability of rifampicin when in combination with tannin was mainly due to the reduction of rifampicin solubility in intestinal tract by complexation of rifampicin with tannin, thus affecting its absorption in intestinal tract. Therefore, rifampicin and the Chinese herbal medicines or Chinese patent medicines rich in tannin should not be taken simultaneously.

Enhancement-perfusion therapy by extracorporeal circulation system ameliorates the blood supply of ischemic lower limbs / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: In the preliminary study, extracorporeal circulation system simulated physiological environment has been applied in limb preservation, significantly prolonging the severed limb preserving time. OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of enhancement-perfusion by extracorporeal circulation system on the blood supply of ischemic lower limbs. METHODS: Eighteen adult Bama mini pigs were equally randomized into three groups: group A (no intervention), groups B and C (establishing the ischemic model by arteria cruralis ligation at the right posterior lower limb). At 4 weeks after modeling, the model pigs in the group C received enhancement-perfusion therapy 1 hour per day. One week later, the situations of angiography were detected by digital radiography. The tibialis anterior separated from each pig was used to test the microvessel density by hematoxylin-eosin staining. The expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor in the skeletal muscle and serum samples were monitored by western blot and ELISA, respectively. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Both diameter and distal collateral circulation of the arteria cruralis in the group C were much better than those in the group B. The microvessel density in the group C was significantly higher than that in the group B (P < 0.05), but the insignificant difference between groups A and C was found (P > 0.05). Both histionic and serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factor were significantly increased in the groups B and C compared with the group A, especially in the group C (P < 0.05). In summary, the enhancement-perfusion therapy by extracorporeal circulation system can considerably ameliorate blood supply of lower limbs, providing a promising method for treatment of ischemic lower limbs.

Finding of a NDM-1 carbapenems-producing Leclercia adcarboxglata / 临床检验杂志

Objective To investigate the resistance mechanism of a carbapenems-resistant Leclercia adcarboxglata.Methods The species was identified by the automatic microbial analyzer,matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and 16S rRNA sequence analysis.The conventional drug susceptibility test was detected with automatic microbial analyzer,and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for imipenem was examined by E-test.The phenotypes of carbapenemase were detected by modified carbapenem inactivation method (mCIM) and the genotypes of resistance genes were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing.The characteristics of the carried plasmid were analyzed by conjugation test and S1pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (S1-PFGE).Results The clinical isolates of Leclercia adcarboxglata were resistant to imipenem,other beta-lactam antibiotics(except aztreonam) and aminoglycosides,but sensitive to quinolones and sulfonamides.The conjugation test resulted in a drug-resistance spectrum of the receptor strain E.coli J53 similar to Leclercia adcarboxglata bacteria.The phenotype of carbapenemase was positive.PCR amplification and sequencing analysis showed that blaNDM-1,blaTEM and aac (6')-Ib were detectable in the isolates simultaneously,while the conjugon only carried blaNDM-1.S1-PFGE revealed that Leclercia adcarboxglata carried 3 plasmids.Conclusion The carbapenems resistance of Leclercia adcarboxglata may contribute to carrying blaNDM-1 gene which may exist in an around 100 kb plasmid transmitted with conjugation.

The effectiveness of zinc supplementation in men with isolated hypogonadotropic hypogonadism / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

A multicenter, open-label, randomized, controlled superiority trial with 18 months of follow-up was conducted to investigate whether oral zinc supplementation could further promote spermatogenesis in males with isolated hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (IHH) receiving sequential purified urinary follicular-stimulating hormone/human chorionic gonadotropin (uFSH/hCG) replacement. Sixty-seven Chinese male IHH patients were recruited from the Departments of Endocrinology in eight tertiary hospitals and randomly allocated into the sequential uFSH/hCG group (Group A, n = 34) or the sequential uFSH plus zinc supplementation group (Group B, n = 33). In Group A, patients received sequential uFSH (75 U, three times a week every other 3 months) and hCG (2000 U, twice a week) treatments. In Group B, patients received oral zinc supplementation (40 mg day-1 ) in addition to the sequential uFSH/hCG treatment given to patients in Group A. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with a sperm concentration ≥1.0 × 106 ml-1 during the 18 months. The comparison of efficacy between Groups A and B was analyzed. Nineteen of 34 (55.9%) patients receiving sequential uFSH/hCG and 20 of 33 (60.6%) patients receiving sequential uFSH/hCG plus zinc supplementation achieved sperm concentrations ≥1.0 × 106 ml-1 by intention to treat analyses. No differences between Group A and Group B were observed as far as the efficacy of inducing spermatogenesis (P = 0.69). We concluded that the sequential uFSH/hCG plus zinc supplementation regimen had a similar efficacy to the sequential uFSH/hCG treatment alone. The additional improvement of 40 mg day-1 oral zinc supplementation on spermatogenesis and masculinization in male IHH patients is very subtle.

Death caused by ST19 Klebsiella oxytoca with wcaG virulence gene in leukemic patient / 中国人兽共患病学报

We investigated the cause of a leukemia patient induced by infect in a strain of Klebsiella oxytoca with hypermucoviscosity (HMV) phenotype.Identification and drug susceptibility of the isolate were carried out with VITEK-2 compact system.HMV phenotype was detected by string-test.The major high virulence capsular serotypes (K1,K2,K5,K20,K54 and K57) and virulence factors (rmpA,wcaG,allS,kfu,aerobactin,fimH,uge,wabG and cf29a) were detected by polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing.Molecular typing was performed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST).Results showed that the isolates of blood and lung tissue were Klebsiella oxytoca belonged to ST 19,which were sensitive to the antibiotics used in test,expressing the HMV phenotype.The virulence gene wcaG was found,while other virulence genes and the major high virulence capsular serotypes were negative.It indicates that ST19 Klebsiella oxytoca with wcaG virulence gene is the main reason causing leukemic patient death.

Observations on the Therapeutic Effect of Electroacupuncture on Urinary Retention Due to Prostatic Hyperplasia / 上海针灸杂志

Objective To assess the clinical therapeutic effect of electroacupuncture on urinary retention due to prostatic hyperplasia by ultrasonic measurement of bladder residual urine volume before and after treatment.Methods Seventy patients with urinary retention due to prostatic hyperplasia were randomized to a treatment group (39 cases) and a control group (31 cases).The treatment group received electroacupuncture and the control group,conventional medication.The International Prostate Symptom Score (I-PSS) score was recorded and prostate volume (PV) and bladder residual urine volume (RUV) were measured in the two groups before and after treatment.The clinical therapeutic effects were compared between the two groups.Results There were statistically significant pre-/post-treatment differences in the indicators (I-PSS,PV and RUV) in both groups (P＜0.05,P＜0.01).There were statistically significant post-treatment differences in the indicators between the treatment and control groups (P＜0.05).The total efficacy rate was 94.9％ in the treatment group and 96.8％ in the control group;there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (P＞0.05).Conclusion Both electroacupuncture and medication are effective ways to treat urinary retention due to prostatic hyperplasia.

Preliminary report of using cardiopulmonary exercise testing guide exercise rehabilitation in patients with chronic heart failure / 中国应用生理学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>The exercise rehabilitation in patient with chronic heart failure (CHF) is standard clinical practice, but it is rare using CardioPulmonary Exercise Testing (CPET) guide to prescribe exercise rehabilitation in China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We performed symptom limited maximal CPET in 10 patients with CHF, randomly divided into two groups: 5 patients as control without exercise and 5 exercise patients used Δ50%W intensity to exercise 30 min/d, 5 d/w, x12 w. Before and after 12 w rehabilitation, we evaluated functions.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were no significant difference between two groups patients (P > 0.05). The exercise duration was increased from 8 min to 23 min after rehabilitation (P < 0.001); distance 6 minutes walking was increased from 394 m to 470 m (P < 0.05); score of Minnesota quality of life was decreased from 25 to 3 in exercise group (P < 0.01). However, there were nosignificant changes in control group (P>0.05) and their changes were smaller than those in exercise group (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The CPET guiding exercise rehabilitation is safe and effective for patients with CHF.</p>

Intervention of chronic hepatitis B liver fibrosis patients in different stages by syndrome typing and different activating blood removing stasis methods: a clinical study / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the clinical efficacy of treating chronic hepatitis B liver fibrosis (CHBLF) in different stages by syndrome typing and different activating blood removing stasis methods (ABRSM).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Totally 100 CHBLF patients of vital qi deficiency blood stasis syndrome (VQDBSS) treated at the Department of Liver Diseases, Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences from July 2008 to December 2011, were randomly assigned to the treatment group and the control group, 50 in each group. Those in the treatment group were treated by self-formulated decoctions for activating blood nourishing blood (ABNB), activating blood removing stasis (ABRS), and activating blood softening hard mass (ABSHM) according to their stages of disease conditions (mild, moderate, and severe). Those in the control group were treated with Compound Biejia Ruangan Tablet (CBRT). Integrals of Chinese medical syndromes, liver functions [mainly including alanine aminotransferase (ALT), albumin/globulin (A/ G)], ultrasonographic examinations of liver (mainly including echoes of liver, width of spleens, width of portal vein), four indicators of serum hepatic fibrosis [including serum hyaluronic acid (HA), laminin (LN), type IV collagen (IV-C), type III collagen peptide (P-III-P)] were statistically analyzed. The therapeutic course was 6 months for all.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with before treatment in the same group, the integrals of Chinese medical syndromes both decreased after treatment in the two groups (P < 0.05). The width of spleens decreased in the treatment group more obviously after treatment than before treatment (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the integrals of Chinese medical syndromes and the width of spleens were more obviously improved in the treatment group, showing statistical difference (P < 0.05). Compared with before treatment in the same group, levels of ALT, HA, and LN significantly decreased, and the level of A/G significantly increased after treatment in the two groups, showing statistical difference (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, the A/G level, HA, and LN were more obviously improved in the treatment group, showing statistical difference (P < 0.05). The total effective rate was 76% in the treatment group and 46% in the control group, showing statistical difference (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Treating CH-BLF in different stages by ABRSM got better effect than using CBRT alone. It could favorably improve clinical symptoms of CHBLF patients and their serum biochemical indicators.</p>

Effect of ronggan mixture on immunoregulation and hepatocyte apoptosis-related factors in concanavalin A induced acute immunological liver injury mice / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effect of Ronggan Mixture (RM) on immunoregulation and hepatocyte apoptosis-related factors in concanavalin A (Con A) induced acute immunological liver injury mice.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Totally 60 hepatitis B virus (HBV) transgenic mice were randomly divided into 6 groups, i.e., the blank control group, the model group, the RM group, the Herba Artemisiae Scopariae (HAS) group, the Yinchenhao Decoction (YD) group, and the Bifendate group, 10 mice in each group. The acute immunological liver injury model was established by tail vein injection of ConA. Fourteen days before modeling, normal saline was administered to mice in the blank control group and the model group. RM, YD, HAS decoction, and Bifendate solution was respectively given to mice in the RM group, the YD group, the HAS group, and the Bifendate group. The medication was performed once daily. One h after the last gastrogavage, phosphate buffer solution (PBS) was injected to mice in the blank control group from the tail vein. Modeling was conducted by injecting Con A at 3 microg/g body weight from the tail vein. Mice were sacrificed 8 h after modeling. Blood or tissue samples were collected to detect lab indicators such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bilirubin (TBil), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interferon gamma (INF-gamma), IL-4, IL-10, Fas, FasL, Bax, and bcl-2.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There was significant difference in all lab indicators between the normal group and the blank control group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). Compared with the model group, ALT and AST levels were significantly lower in the RM group and the Bifendate group (P < 0.01); TBil significantly decreased in the RM group (P < 0.01). The expression level of TNF-alpha decreased in the RM group (P <0.05). The expression level of IFN-gamma decreased in the RM group and the YD group (P < 0.05). The expression level of IL-4 could be elevated in all medicated groups (P < 0.05). RM could elevate the expression level of IL-10 (P < 0.05). The expression level of Fas in the liver tissue decreased in the RM group and the YD group (P < 0.05). The expression level of FasL decreased and the expression of bcl-2 gene increased in the RM group (both P < 0.05). The expression level of Bax was down-regulated in the RM group and the YD group (P < 0.05). The ratio of bcl-2/Bax was up-regulated in the RM group (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, RM showed better effect in decreasing expressions of ALT and AST than HAS (P < 0.05). The effect of increasing IL-10 expression levels was better in the RM group than in the YD group (P < 0.01). The effect of decreasing expressions of Fas and FasL was better in the RM group than in the HAS group, the YD group, and the Bifendate group (P < 0.05). The effect of enhancing the expression of IL-10 in the liver tissue was better in the RM group than in the HAS group (P < 0. 05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>RM had protective effect on Con A induced acute immunological liver injury mice, which might be achieved by changing the immunological balance of Thl/Th2 factors (decreasing expressions of TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma, elevating expressions of IL-10 and IL-4) and regulating hepatocyte apoptosis-related factors (down-regulating gene expressions of Fas, FasL, and Bax; up-regulating bcl-2 gene expression, and up-regulating the bcl-2/Bax ratio).</p>

Testing immunogenicity of recombinant antibody by surface plasmon resonance / 药学学报

With the development of bio-technological drugs, drug immunogenicity evaluation has become key factor of clarifying safety and efficacy of these drugs. It has become the focus to establish a stable and reliable evaluation system. Due to the advantages such as continuous real-time monitoring, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology has been widely used in bio-technological drugs immunogenicity assessments. Our study applied this technology to detect anti-drug antibody (ADA) of a recombinant human anti-rabies monoclonal antibody NM57 in the sera of 48 volunteers admitted in phase I clinical trials. This method could satisfy the basic requirements of detection of ADA.

Relationship between angiotensin converting enzyme gene polymorphism and essential hypertension in children / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the relationship between insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism of 287 bp in the 16th intron of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) and essential hypertension in children.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>I/D polymorphism of 287 bp in the 16th intron of ACE was detected using PCR in 105 children with essential hypertension and 105 normal children as control group.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There was an I/D polymorphism in the 16th intron of ACE in the hypertension and the control groups: type II, type ID and type DD. The genotype frequencies of type DD, type ID and type II in the hypertension group were 30.5%, 47.6% and 21.9%, respectively. The genotype frequencies of type DD, type ID and type II in the control group were 14.3%, 46.7% and 39.1%, respectively. There were significant differences in the genotype frequencies of types DD and II between the two groups (P<0.01). The allele frequency of type D (54.3% vs 37.6%) was significantly higher in the hypertension group; in contrast, the allele frequency of type I (45.7% vs 62.4%) was significantly lower than in the control group (P<0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Polymorphism of type II, type ID and type DD exits in ACE. The deletion of 287 bp in the 16th intron of ACE might be associated with the occurrence of essential hypertension in children.</p>

Biological characteristics of valvular interstitial cells in calcific aortic valve disease / 第二军医大学学报

To observe the biological characteristics of valvular interstitial cells in calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD), so as to lay a foundation for future study. Methods Tissue culture inoculation and immunomagnetic bead separation method were used to isolate the valvular interstitial cells from the normal aortic valves and CAVD valves. The morphological and behavioral characteristics of the isolated valvular interstitial cells were observed. Immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry an alysis were employed to determine cellular immunophenotype. Results Compared to normal valvular interstitial cells, CAVD valvular interstitial cells displayed a myofibroblast- and osteoblast- like morphology. When the cell density reached acertain level, they spontaneously retracted from the neighboring areas and grouped into aggregates, forming calcific nodules. Furthermore, CAVD valvular interstitial cells cultured in vitro were positive for myofibroblast markera α-SMA and osteoblast marker alkaline phosphatase. Conclusion Biological characteristic change of CAVD valvular interstitial cells might be the major reason for the thickening, calcification, and commissural fusion in CAVD valvular samples.

Impact of age and gender on cardiac structure and function in normal Chinese population / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To identify the impact of age and gender on cardiac structure and left ventricular function in normal Chinese by echocardiography.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Cardiac structure, valve flow velocity and cardiac function were measured by echocardiography in 15,692 healthy volunteers. Subjects were grouped by age at 5 years interval in population older than 5 years. Children under 5 years were divided into 3 age groups (< 1 years, 1 - 3 years, 4 - 5 years). Hierarchical cluster analyses were performed for ages, based on indexes of cardiac structure and function respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Six groups (< 1 years, 1 - 3 years, 4 - 5 years, 6 - 10 years, 11 - 20 years, > or = 21 years) were generated after the age hierarchical cluster analyses based on index of cardiac structure. Four groups (< or = 30 years, 31 - 50 years, 51 - 80 years, > or = 81 years) were generated based on spectral current flow. Six groups (< 1 years, 1 - 3 years, 4 - 5 years, 6 - 10 years, 11 - 15 years, > or = 16 years) were generated based on left ventricular systolic function and five groups (< or = 15 years, 16 - 30 years, 31 - 50 years, 51 - 80 years, > or = 81 years) were generated based on left ventricular diastolic function. Cardiac structure index were similar between male and female in age groups < or = 10 years and significantly lower in females than males in age groups > or = 11 years (P < 0.05). Valve flow velocity was similar between male and female in various age groups (P > 0.05). Left ventricular systolic function was similar between male and female in age groups < or = 10 years but was significantly higher in males than females in age groups > or = 11 years (all P < 0.05). Left ventricular diastolic function was similar between female and male in various age groups (P > 0.05) and equally decreased with aging in both female and male subjects.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The cardiac development in Chinese population can be divided in 6 phases and becomes stable in subjects older than 21 years, left ventricular systolic function becomes stable in subjects older than 16 years and the left ventricular diastolic function declines physiologically with aging.</p>